It serves as the headquarters of both Indore District and Indore Division. A central power city, Indore exerts a significant impact upon commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and entertainment and has been described as the commercial capital of the state. Indore is the only city in India to house both the Indian Institute of Technology and Indian Institute of Management.[10] Located on the southern edge of Malwa Plateau, the city is located 190 km west of the state capital of Bhopal. With a Census-estimated 2011 population of 3,276,697[11] distributed over a land area of just 3,898 square kilometer, Indore is the most densely populated major city in the central province. The Indore Metropolitan Area's population is the state's largest, with 3.2 million people living there.

Indore's financial district, anchored by central Indore, functions as the financial capital of the Madhya Pradesh and is home to the Madhya Pradesh Stock Exchange, India's third oldest stock exchange. Indore's real estate market is among the most expensive in the Central India.

Contents

Etymology1

History2

Origins2.1

The Maratha Raj (Holkar Era)2.2

British Era (Indore/Holkar State)2.3

Post-independence2.4

Geography3

Climate3.1

Demographics4

Architecture4.1

Parks and recreation5

Government and jurisdiction6

Infrastructure7

Information technology7.1

Health and medicine7.2

Wi-fi7.3

Transport7.4

Air7.4.1

Rail7.4.2

Road7.5

Local transport7.5.1

Economy8

Education9

Arts, music and theatre10

Media11

Print media11.1

Electronic media11.2

Cuisine12

Sports13

Festivals14

Entertainment15

Cinema15.1

Malls15.2

Tourism16

Religious places16.1

Chhatris16.2

Historical places17

Nearby attractions17.1

Notable people from Indore18

See also19

References20

Further reading21

External links22

Etymology

On the journey to conquer Ujjain, Raja Indra Singh laid a camp beside the river Kanh (modern name Khan) and was very impressed by the scenic greenery of the place. Thus he laid a Shivling at the meeting place of the rivers Kanh and Saraswati and got the Indreshwar temple constructed along with the settlement Indrapur. Years later under the Maratha Rule, when it was given to the Maratha Subedar (General) 'Malhar Rao Holkar' by PeshwaBaji Rao I, its name had evolved to 'Indur' (Hindi: इंदूर). This name was changed to Indore during the British raj.

History

Tookajee Rao Holkar II, Indore, from a drawing by Mr. W. Carpenter, Jun.," from the Illustrated London News, 1857

Origins

Indore owes its early growth to trade and commerce, which is still a dominant feature of the city. It is the commercial capital of the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. The present city is about 500 years old. Till the end of 15th century, its original nucleus was a river side village which occupied the bank of river Saraswati. This area is now known as Juni Indore.

The area of the modern Indore city was a part of the Kampelpargana (administrative unit) during the Mughal Empire.[13] Kampel was administered by the Ujjainsarkar (government) of Malwa Subah (province). The area was controlled by the local zamindars (feudal landlords), who accepted the suzerainty of the Mughal empire. The zamindars received the title of Chaudhari, which established their claim to the land.

The modern settlement was developed by Rao Nandlal Chaudhary, the chief local Zamindar, who had an army of 2000 soldiers. Under the Mughal rule, his family enjoyed great influence and was accorded confirmatory sanads by the Emperors Aurangzeb and Farrukhsiyar, confirming their jagir (land ownership) rights. When Nandlal visited the Mughal court at Delhi, he received a special place in the emperor's court along with two jewel studded swords (now on display in the Royal British Museum under the family's name) and confirmatory sanads. Jai Singh II, a personal friend of his, gave him a special "Gold Langar" which guaranteed a special place to him in all the courts of India.

In the mid-1710s, Nandlal was caught in the struggle between the Marathas and the Nizam of Hyderabad (who had been appointed as the governor of the Deccan region by the Mughal emperor). Once, while visiting the Indreshwar Temple near the banks of river Saraswati, Nandlal found the location to be safe and strategically located, being surrounded by rivers on all sides. He started moving his people in, and constructed the fort of Shree Sansthan Bada Rawala to protect them from harassment by the warring forces. This marked the establishment of the present-day Indore city, which became an important trade center on the Delhi-Deccan route.

The Maratha Raj (Holkar Era)

By 1720, the headquarters of the local pargana were transferred from Kampel to Indore, due to the increasing commercial activity in the city. On 18 May 1724, the Nizam accepted the rights of the MarathaPeshwaBaji Rao I to collect chauth (taxes) from the area. In 1733, the Peshwa assumed the full control of Malwa, and appointed his commander Malhar Rao Holkar as the Subhedar (Governor) of the province.[14] Nandlal Chaudhary accepted the suzerainty of the Marathas. During the Maratha rule, the Chaudharis came to be known as "Mandloi"s (derived from Mandals meaning districts). The Holkars conferred the title of Rao Raja upon Nandlal's family.[15] The family retained its possessions of royalty, in addition to the right of performing the first puja of Dushera (Shami Pujan) before the Holkar rulers. The respectability and influence of Nandlal's family in the region was instrumental in the ascent of the Peshwas and Holkars to rulership of this region.

British Era (Indore/Holkar State)

In 1818, the Holkars were defeated by the British during the Third Anglo-Maratha War, in the Battle of Mahidpur by virtue of which the capital was again moved from Maheshwar to Indore. A residency with British resident was established at Indore, but Holkars continued to rule Indore State as a princely state mainly due to efforts of their Dewan Tatya Jog. During that time, Indore was established the headquarters of British Central Agency. In 1906 electric supply was started in the city, fire brigade was established in 1909 and in 1918, first master-plan of city was made by noted architect and town planner, Patrick Geddes.

Post-independence

After India's independence in 1947, Holkar State, along with a number of neighbouring princely states, acceded to Indian Union. In 1948, with the formation of Madhya Bharat, Indore became the summer capital of the state. On 1 November 1956, when Madhya Bharat was merged into Madhya Pradesh, the state capital was shifted to Bhopal. Indore, a city today of nearly 2.1 million residents, has transformed from a traditional commercial urban center into a modern dynamic commercial capital of the state.

Geography

Indore is located in the western region of Madhya Pradesh, on the southern edge of the Malwa plateau. It lies on the Saraswati and Khan rivers, which are tributaries of the Shipra River and has an average elevation of 553.00 meter above mean sea level. It is located on an elevated plain, with the Vindhya Range to the south.

Apart from Yashwant Lake, there are many lakes that supply water to the city including Sirpur Tank, Bilawali Talab, Sukhniwas Lake and Piplyapala Talab. Soil cover in the city region is predominantly black. In the suburbs, the soil cover is largely red and black. The underlying rock of the region is composed of black basalt, and their acidic and basic variants dating back to the late Cretaceous and early Eocene eras. The area is classified as Seismic Zone III region, which means an earthquake of up to magnitude 6.5 on the Richter-scale may be expected.

Climate

Summers start in mid-March and can be extremely hot in April and May. The daytime temperatures can touch 48 °C (118 °F) on more than one occasion. Average summer temperatures may go as high as 40 °C (104 °F) but humidity is very low.

Winters are moderate and usually dry. Lower temperatures can go as low as 2 °C (36 °F)-6 °C (43 °F) on some nights. Usually the temperature ranges between 8 to 26 °C during winters.

Rains are due to southwest monsoons. The typical monsoon season goes from 15 June till mid-September, contributing 32–35 inches of annual rains. 95% of rains occur during monsoon season.

Indore gets moderate rainfall of 185 to 360 millimetres (7.3 to 14.2 in) during July–September due to the southwest monsoon.

Demographics

Indore is the most populous city in the Madhya Pradesh. According to the 2011 census of India, the population of the Indore city (the area under the municipal corporation) is 1,964,086.[5] The population of the Indore metropolis (urban agglomeration that inlcludes neighbouring areas) is 2,167,447.[6] In 2010, the city had a population density of 25,170 people per square mile (9,718/km²), rendering it the most densely populated of all municipalities with over 100,000 population in the Madhya Pradesh. As per 2011 census, the city of Indore has an average literacy rate of 87.38%, higher than the national average of 74%. Male literacy was 91.84%, and Female literacy was 82.55%[19] In Indore, 12.72% of the population is under 6 years of age (as per census 2011). The average annual growth rate of population is around 2.85% as per the statistics of census 2001. Religion-wise, according to the 2011 census reports, Hindus constitute a major of 80.02% of Indore's total population, while Muslims 7.41%, Jains 7.02%, and others 2.03%.[18]

The Indore City metropolitan area is ethnically diverse. It is home to the large Agrawal, Muslim & Jain community especially RajasthaniAgrawalsJains. Indore has a high degree of income disparity. Hindi & Malviya is the main language spoken here.Malvi, a dialect of Rajasthani, are spoken by majority of population. A large number of people speak Urdu particularly the Muslims. Ethnically, Hindi linguistics form major sub groups in the city followed by Marathi, Punjabis, Sindhis, Gujaratis and others. The disparity is driven by wage growth in high income brackets, while wages have stagnated for middle and lower income brackets. Indore is always ranked as the home to the highest number of billionaires in the state.

Indore has the highest percentage of constant foreign migrants among Indian cities. As of now, around 2,000 Pakistani Hindus have migrated into the state most of which are in Indore. Several Pakistani immigrants arrive in the Indore area every year. No single nationality or culture dominates the city's immigrant population, placing it among the most diverse cities in India.[20]

Architecture

Indore is all fascinating with the charm of its architectural grandeur and historical enigma. Indore has architecturally significant buildings in a wide range of styles spanning distinct historical and cultural periods of Holkar (Maratha), Mughal and British era. These include the Rajwada Palace (1766), a blend of Maratha and Mughal styles with a giant wooden door covered with iron studs and seven storied entrance; Lal Bagh Palace, the grandest monument of Holkar dynasty reflecting the taste, grandeur and lifestyle of the Holkars with European flavor; Krishnapura Chhatris, the royal cenotaphs of typical Maratha style architecture with domes and pyramidal spires allures with its historical enigma. There are also many Rajput style architecture in Indore, due to many Rajputs of Rajasthan have settled here. There are lacs of Rajputs living here.

Indore has significant number of high-rises. Most of the high-rise buildings in Indore are located in the financial district of Vijay Nagar in the upper east city.

The tallest structure in Indore is the replica of Eiffel Tower at All India Radio campus, which rises 337 metres (1,106 ft). However, the observation tower is not generally considered a high-rise building as it does not have successive floors that can be occupied. The tallest habitable building in Indore is the Radisson Blu. The second-tallest building in the city is the Bombay Hospital while the tallest residential buildings are at Ocean Park on Indore-Dewas Bypass Road near Delhi Public School. There are many landmarks in Indore which make it a tourist attraction.[21]

Parks and recreation

Atal Bihari Vajpeyee Regional Park also known as Pipliyapala park or Indore regional park, it is developed by the Indore Development Authority (IDA). Development of the park is on the 80 acres of land of the pond and 42 acres land near this tank. There is a canal, which covers the whole park starting from one point of the pond and ending at the other part. The bridges over canal with the Mist fountain let us feel a special type of peace,mentally as well as physically. Various attractions to the park include Musical Fountain, Jumping jet fountain, Artists' village, Maze, French gardens, Bio-diversity garden, Mist fountain, Fast food zone, Boating. The latest attraction to the park is the mini cruise named "Malwa Queen". It has two deck accommodating 80 people, and has a restaurant and private party rooms.

Kamla Nehru Prani Sangrahalay or simply Indore Zoo is one of the oldest zoological parks of Indore spread over the area of 4000 sq m. Known for its special species like white tigers, Himalayan bear and white peacock, Indore zoo is also a center for reproduction, protection and exhibition of animals, plants and their habitats.

Meghdoot Garden is one of the biggest and famous parks of Indore. Situated in the northern suburbs of the city about 4 km away from Palasia. It was renovated in 2000-01 . Presence of ground houses sprawling lawns, lighted and dancing fountains, and landscaped gardens makes Meghdoot Upvan an ideal picnic spot for those who intend to do Indore sightseeing. Among tourist attractions of Indore city, this garden is one of the must see places for tourists. Some of the popular luxury hotels like Fortune Landmark & Sayaji are close to this park. On weekends, it remains a popular place to visit with family members & friends.

Government and jurisdiction

The khatiya Indore is formed of two tiers—a city-wide, and a local tier. Most of the regions surrounding the city are administered by the Indore Development Authority (IDA). IDA works as an apex body for planning and co-ordination of development activities in the Indore Metropolitan Region (IMR) comprising Indore and its agglomeration covering an area of 398.72 km2.

The IDA consists of two appointed components; the collector of the district, who has executive powers, and the IDA Board which includes a chairman appointed by Government of Madhya Pradesh, Municipal Commissioner of Indore and five members form Town and Country Planning Department, Forest Department, Public Health Engineering, Public Works Department and MP Electricity Board who scrutinize the collector's decisions and can accept or reject his budget proposals each year. The headquarters of the IDA is at Race Course Road, Indore.

Indore City has been a metropolitan municipality with a mayor-council form of government. Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) was established in 1956 under the Madhya Pradesh Nagar Palika Nigam Adhiniyam. The IMC is responsible for public education, correctional institutions, libraries, public safety, recreational facilities, sanitation, water supply, local planning and welfare services. The mayor and councillors are elected to five-year terms. The Indore Municipal Corporation is a unicameral body consisting of 69 Council members whose districts are divided into 12 zones and these zones have been further divided into 69 wards defined by geographic population boundaries.

Infrastructure

Information technology

Photo of Crystal IT Park, Indore. A complex where major IT firms are present.

The Information Technology sector is rapidly growing in Indore. Companies like Infosys and TCS have started the construction of their respective offices in Indore near Super Corridor. Both the companies are approximately 5 km from Indore airport. It is believed to create about 5000 jobs in coming 5–6 years.

Health and medicine

Indore is a centre of health care and India's first medical institution, Maharaja Yeshwantrao Hospital was established in the city in early 1848. Originally named after Yashwantrao Holkar, Maharaja of Indore, the last Holkar ruler. When it was re-inaugurated in 1955, it was Asia's largest government hospital with 1200 beds, and it has remained the largest public hospital in the state. The eight-storied hospital building is surrounded by a group of its special purpose hospitals, namely the 300-bed Chacha Nehru Children hospitals, the 100-bed M.R TB hospital, the 100-bed cancer hospital, a mental hospital and a medical college within the hospital campus.

Indore is home to 51 public health institutions and has a good number of private hospitals too. The prominent healthcare facilities of Indore include Maharaja Yeshwantrao Hospital, Bombay Hospital, Choithram Hospital, CHL Hospital, and with the new additions of national brands including Medanta, Apollo, Vasan and Centre for Sight it has become a center for quality health care treatment.[22]

Wi-fi

There are various companies providing paid and free Wi-fi services across the city. Reliance's Jionet[23] became operational from November, 2013. It covers full city but maximum Wi-fi towers are not working yet. It is a 4G High Speed Wi-fi service which is kept free for now but will become chargeable from 2016. Indore is also the second city in India to provide free Wifi across the city.[24] AICSTL is also providing high speed free Wi-Fi service named 'Free As Air' across the Indore BRTS corridor.

The Indore airport has a history of its own. It was commissioned by the erstwhile ruler Yashwant Rao Holkar II. He gave the construction work of the Indore airport to the pioneers of civil aviation in India - Tata & Sons - in 1935. Indore was connected to New Delhi & Bombay (Mumbai) on 26 July 1946 and was handed over to the central government on 1 April 1950.

Rail

The Indore Junction is an A-1 grade railway station with a revenue of more than Rs. 50 crore(500 million). The City Railway Division comes under Ratlam Division of the Western Railways. Indore is directly connected to major cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Pune, Lucknow, Kochi, Jaipur, Ahmedabad etc.

Meter gauge train stopped operating from February 2015. Indore-Mhow section is now being upgraded to broad gauge.[26] Electrification of the Indore – Dewas – Ujjain was completed in June 2012. Ratlam-Indore broad gauge conversion completed in September 2014.[27] Platform 1 is being upgraded to broad gauge and a modern station complex with two new platforms are being developed close to Rajkumar railway over-bridge.[28]

Local transport

Indore has a well developed transport system. Atal Indore City Transport Services Ltd., a PPP scheme operates buses and radio taxis in the city. The buses designated as City Bus operate on 36 Routes, with around 170 bus stops. The buses are color-coded according to their route. Many of them are non-AC and are equipped with GPS and Accident Avoid Systems.

Indore BRTS is a bus rapid transit system which began operations on 10 May 2013. It is plying with air-conditioned (AC) buses. These buses are also equipped with services like GPS and IVR which are used to track the position of the bus with information displayed on LED displays installed at the bus stops.

It has a 12 km dedicated corridor for its functioning between Niranjanpur and Rajiv Gandhi Chouraha after which an additional 11 km of normal road corridor from Rajiv Gandhi Chouraha to Rau. This service has further been extended to Mhow which will function without a dedicated corridor.

Local transport also includes auto rickshaw, Maruti vans and CNG Tata Magic Vans which have replaced the Mini-Buses also called theNagar Seva. Many Private Cab Services also operate in the city such as Ola Cabs, TaxiForSure, Meru Cabs, UBER and Chartered Cabs (earlier Metro Taxi). The major bus terminals are Sarwate (Near Indore Railway Station), Gangwal (Dhar Road), Navlakha (A.B.Road) and Vijay Nagar (A.B. Road) Bus Terminals which majorly cater Intra-State as well as Inter-State routes.

Economy

Indore is a dominant commercial center and host multi-level market for maximum goods and services.Indore had GDP of $14,000,000,000 as of 2011.[29] Indore is witnessing rapid growth owing to the new unambiguous Industrial Policy framework, good Investment environment,Infrastructure development and growth, Improved living standards, and High Educational standards. The city also host prestigious Global Investors' Summit which attract investors from 21 countries, including the US, Australia, Japan, Singapore, the UK, Germany and Finland.

Pithampur is also known as the Detroit of India.[34][35] Pithampur industrial area houses many production plants of various Pharmaceutical companies like Ipca Laboratories, Cipla, Lupin, Glenmark, Unichem and big auto companies prominent among these are Force Motors, Volvo Eicher commercial, Avtec, Mahindra 2 wheelers Ltd.

Madhya Pradesh Stock Exchange (MPSE) originally set up in 1919 is the only exchange in Central India and the third oldest stock exchange in India is located in Indore and now the National Stock Exchange (NSE) established an Investor Service Center in the city.[36] Industrial employment influenced the economic geography of Indore. After 1956 merger, Indore experienced suburban expansion aided by high levels of car ownership. Workforce decentralization and transport improvements made it possible for the establishment of small-scale manufacturing in the suburbs. Many firms took advantage of relatively cheap land to build spacious, single-storey plants in suburban locations where parking, access and traffic congestion were minimal.

While the Textile manufacturing and Trading is the oldest business to contribute to economy, the Real Estate has emerged very fast in past few years, it has open the door for high return on property investment. National Real Estate Players DLF Limited, Suncity (ZEE Group), Omaxe, Sahara, Parsvnath, Ansal API, Emaar MGF have already launched their residential projects in Indore. These projects are generally on the Indore bypass. This road also houses the projects of many local and regional Real estate players like Pumarth, Casa Greens, Silver spring, Kalindi, Milan Heights etc.

Infosys is setting up new development centre at Indore at an investment of Rs 100 crore in phase one at Super corridor.[37] Infosys demanded an area of 130 Acres to open its new facility in Indore which will employ about 13,000 people. TCS has started construction of its campus at Indore, Collabera has also announced plans to open campuses in Indore. The government of MP has also done the land allotment.[38] Besides these, there are several small and medium size software development firms in Indore.

Education

IES IPS Academy Main Building

Indore is a home to a range of colleges and schools. Indore has a large student population and is a big educational center in central India. Most primary and secondary schools in Indore are affiliated with the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE); however, quite a few number of schools are affiliated with ICSE board, NIOS board, CBSEi board and the state level M.P. Board as well.

The Daly College, founded in 1882, is one of the oldest co-educational boarding school in the world, which was established to educate the rulers of the Central Indian Princely States of the 'Marathas' and Rajputs'.[39] The Holkar Science College, officially known as Government Model Autonomous Holkar Science College was established in 1891.[40]

Indore School of Social Work (ISSW) is a pioneer school in the field of social sciences both in education and research. ISSW is training professional social workers since 1951. www.isswindore.org

Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya, also known as "DAVV" (formerly known as University of Indore) is a renowned university in Indore with several colleges operating under its aegis. It has two campuses within the city, one at Takshila Parisar (near Bhavarkuan Square)and another at Rabindra Nath Tagore Road, Indore. The university runs several departments including Institute of Management StudiesSchool of Computer Science & Information Technology(SCSIT), (IMS), School of Law (SoL), Institute of Engineering and Technology, DAVV (IET), Educational Multimedia Research Centre (EMRC), International Institute of Professional Studies (IIPS), School of Pharmacy, School of Energy & Environmental Studies - one of the primer schools for M. Tech. (Energy Management), School of Journalism and School of Futures Studies and Planning, which runs two M. Tech. Courses with specializations in Technology Management & Systems Science & Engineering, MBA (Business Forecasting), and M. Sc. in Science & Technology Communication. The huge campus is replete with several other research and educational departments, many hostels, playgrounds and cafes aiming to provide a fulfilling experience to its students.

Arts, music and theatre

The Yeshwant Club (named after Late HH The Maharaja Yeshwant Rao II Holkar of Indore) and Sayaji Club (named after Late HH The Maharaja Sayaji Rao III Gaekwad of Baroda) are big sponsors for art & music and invite talents from across world. The major art centers in Indore are the Ravindra Natya Grah (RNG), Mai Mangeshkar Sabha Grah, Anand Mohan Mathur Sabhagrah, DAVV auditorium, Brilliant Convention Centre, etc.[42] Many artists from around the world perform here regularly; Abhivyakti Centre of Fine Arts & Performing Arts; Deolalikar Kala Vithika and Jal Sabha Grah are also similar centers for arts and theater. There are also various cultural clubs like Sanand Nyas, Ras Bharati and Kala Abhivyakti, who invite performers from around the globe to perform in Indore. The Maharashtra Sahitya Sabha was known for being a prominent place for Theatre. Indore also holds the Guinness World Record for the Longest Variety Show (Cultural Show) in the World. The longest variety show lasted 12 hr 8 min at an event organised by Shri Vision Social Empowerment and Welfare Association (www.srvsewa.org),in Indore, India, on 11 November 2011. The show consisted of 107 acts, including musical performances, dance, poetry and comedy, and featured 145 performers (including 4 comperes). Indore has a major contribution towards art and theatre. With names like Johnny Walker, Lata Mangeshkar, Salman Khan, Salim Khan, Rahat Indori, Asif Shah, Palak Muchhal, Himangini Singh Yadu and many more to the list, Indore has given so much to the industry.

Indore gharana, one of the vocal gharanas of Indian classical music originated from the city. It was founded by Ustaad Amir Khan, who studied the styles of Abdul Wahid Khan, Aman Ali Khan, Rajab Ali Khan and Abdul Karim Khan and amalgamated the essence of the styles of these four maestros with his own intellectual approach to music, and conceived the Indore gharana of music.

The city has a good Rock/Metal Music culture which is growing. Nicotine, one of the city's earliest and most renowned band is widely known for being the pioneer of Metal Music in Central India.[43][44][45][46][47][48]

Media

Print media

There are about 20 Hindi dailies, 7 English dailies, 26 weeklies and monthlies, 4 quarterlies, 2 Bi-monthly Magazine, one annual paper, and one monthly Hindi language educational tabloid named "Campus Diary" published from the city.India's only magazine on pump industry Pumps India & valve magazine Valves India is published from here.[49] The major Hindi newspapers and national media houses have their regional offices in Indore.

Electronic media

The radio industry has expanded with a number of private and government-owned FM channels being introduced. The FM radio channels that broadcast in the city include AIR Vividh Bharathi FM (101.6 MHz), Radio Mirchi FM (98.3 MHz), Big FM (92.7 MHz), Red FM (93.5 MHz), My FM (94.3 MHz) and AIR Gyan Vani FM (105.6 MHz). State-owned Doordarshan transmits two terrestrial television channels. Apart from these few, local broadcasting stations also exist.

Siti Cable(Siti cable) is a Digital cable distribution company with 70% coverage of the city. Its central region head office is in Indore and siti cable having 7 Local channels. Indore have its own TV news channel called 'siti news' headed by News Head Anil Chouhan

Cuisine

Indore, also known as the Street-Food-Capital-Of-India, has a wide variety of Namkeens, Poha & Jalebi, Chaats (snacks), Kachoris and Samosas, cuisines of various types in different restaurants, and Maratha, Mughlai, Bengali, Rajasthani, continental and confectionery sweets, as well as local delicacies such as Dal-Bafla. Most important place in Indore for Foodies is Sarafa Bazar, where a wide range of Indian Fast food is available. Chhappan Dukan is a major food junction in Indore, where the youth & family gathers on the road side shops for Indian Snacks. Generally, Namkeen is served on top of a variety of food items served in Indore.

The life in Indore starts early with chuskis of 'Chai' (tea) with 'garam garam poha & Jalebi' followed by delicious lunch which invariably includes popular 'besan preparations'. Later in the day one can easily find snacks like 'Khaman', 'Kachori – aaloo kachori, dal kachori etc.', 'samosa', 'patties', 'Baked Samosa', 'Bhel puri',' Pani Puri', 'mathri', 'sabudana khichdi' etc. Numerous Shops of Sweets have enjoyed nice business in Indore. Late nights another market comes alive at 11:00 pm in Sarafa (the heart of city) where one finds lot of delicacies to enjoy after a nice dinner like – 'Gajak','Bhutta kis', 'Gulab Jamun', 'garadu', 'Rabri', 'HOT BOILED MILK', 'aalo tikiya', 'Halwa : – Gajar, Moong', icecreams, 'shakes' etc. and finally tasty 'paan' to end your day.

Recently many national companies like McDonalds, Pizza Hut, KFC, Subway, Barista Lavazza and Cafe Coffee Day have opened up their outlets in Indore.

Sports

Holkar Cricket Stadium and skyline of Indore

Cricket is one of the most popular sports in the city. Indore is also home to the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association (MPCA) and The city has one international cricket ground, the Holkar Cricket Stadium. The first cricket ODI match in state was played in Indore at Nehru Stadium. The biggest cricketing event to be staged in the city so far is the 2011 ODI which was played at the Holkar Stadium after a long gap of around 15 years since 1996-97.[50]

Beside cricket, Indore is also a center for many national and international championships. The city hosted the South Asian Billiard Championship and is a host to the three-day-long National Triathlon Championship, in which nearly 450 players and 250 sports officials belonging to 23 states take part in the action.[51]

Indore is also a traditional powerhouse for the game of basketball which has been growing in popularity over the last 3 to 4 decades. It is the home of India's first National Basketball Academy and has a world class indoor basketball stadium. Indore has successfully organized various National Basketball Championships. The major city sports stadium includes:

The Vijay Balla ("Victory Bat") made out of concrete with names of the players of the Indian team who won the test series against England (1971) and West Indies(1972)

Indore has a relatively more cosmopolitan culture, compared to other cities in Madhya Pradesh. Indore was included in holding two Guinness Book of World Records for the largest tea party in the world and for making the largest burger of the world.[52]

Festivals

All national festivals such as Holi, Gangaur, Teej, Rangpanchmi, Baisakhi, Raksha Bandhan, Krishna Janmashtami, Mahavir jayanti, Navratri, Durga puja, Dussehra, Ganesh Utsav, Deepavali, Ramzan, Gudi Padwa, Bhaidooj, Eid, Christmas, Bahai Navruz on 21 March and others like Nagpanchmi, Ahilya Utsav, are celebrated with equal enthusiasm. There are many shiva temples in Indore. Mahashivratri is celebrated to a large extent in Indore. Abhivyati, Hind Rakshak and many more organisations conduct garba mahotsav open for people to watch as well as play.

RangPanchmi

Rangapanchami is celebrated five days after Dulendi or Holi, and has much bigger importance in Indore than main Holi festival itself. and is celebrated by Indorians in their own distinct style. It isn't only usual Holi colors that paint the atmosphere around, rather it is the color of music that fills the air. Here, it is celebrated like Dulendi, but natural colors with or without water are thrown out in the air or poured on others for the whole day by youngsters all over the city. On the event of the festival, the local municipal corporation sprinkles color mixed water on the main streets of old Indore. Earlier Fire Brigade vehicles were used for this purpose. This stylized Rangapanchami celebration in Indore holds back its roots in the Holkar Reign and continues to be celebrated with the same vigour till date.[53]

Entertainment

Indore has many malls and cinema halls. Much new entertainment will be seen in Indore in the coming months when the city will gain a roller-coster ride, a drop tower, and go-karting track along with many new sources of entertainment. Often there are circuses and magic shows set up at different places which are good sources of entertainment.[54]

Cinema

Cinema is the most popular medium of entertainment in Indore as well as in the whole country. There are a number of cinema halls in the city, namely PVR Cinemas, Mangal BIG Cinema, INOX Central, INOX sapna-sangeeta, Carnival Cinemas, Satyam Cineplexes, K sera sera, MadhuMilan, Velocity, Regal, and others.

Malls

Treasure Island Mall was the first mall in Madhya Pradesh

Indore is host to many malls, which provide variety and comfort to the visitors. Treasure Island, Mangal City mall, Indore Central mall, C21 mall, Malhar mega mall, Orbit mall are very well known. In 2011, a branch of Wallmart, named Best Price, also opened for shopkeepers to buy goods at cheaper prices. It has received a good response from shopkeepers of the nearby districts such as Dewas, Ujjain and Dhar. Indore has developed since 2011 making a record of having most malls in central India. Recently Treasure Island mall has shut down temporarily due to renovation.[55]

Tourism

Religious places

Nahar Shah Wali Sarkar

Nahar shah wali sarkar is situted in the east of city at KHAJRANA, There is many transport facility available for this place with cheap fare. Related to this Shrine (DARGAH) is the belief of many people, Whether it be of any religion (Hindu or Muslim).

Indreshwar Temple

Indreshwar temple is a temple of Lord Shiva situated on the sangam of khan and saraswati rivers in Juni Indore. Raja Indra Singh on his way to Ujjain formed the Indrapur city while his stay here. The city of Indore derives its name from this very temple.

Citizens of Indore city and other nearby cities have great faith in the Khajrana temple. This temple was made by Ahilyabai Holkar, the brave Maratha queen. This is an important place of Hindus.

Shri Riddhi Siddhi Chintaman Ganesh Temple/Potli Ganesh

This temple is around 750 years old, featuring the only Lord Ganesha temple holding a bag of money. Also called "Potli Wale Ganesh(Hindi:पोटली वाले गणेश) which means 'The Ganesha with a money bag'.

Gurudwara

Indore is historically attached to Sikhism. It has numerous Gurudwaras. Gurdwara Imli Sahib is Sikh shrine situated in Indore. In the year 1567, Guru Nanak Dev Ji on his way diverted from southern states to the north-west and reached Indore. It is centrally located and innumerable devotees assure spiritual knowledge, peace and bliss here. Gurdwara Charan Paduka Betma Sahib is situated in the small village of Betma. Betma is a town and a nagar panchayat in Indore district in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India. Betma Sahib is one of the pious gurudwaras of historical significance for Sikhs, as it is believed that Guru Nanak Dev Ji visited this place during his southern Udasi.

Annapurna Temple

Annapurna is a very beautiful and one of the oldest temples in Indore. Dedicated to the goddess Annapoorna, this temple is one among the famous pilgrimage centres in Indore. Not only devotees, but also tourists come to see this majestic shrine. This temple bears a resemblance to the famous Madurai Meenakshi Temple of Madurai. Inside the temple premises, there exist shrines of Sivan, Hanuman, and Kalabhairava. The Pravachan Hall of the temple is also very famous. Four full sized elephants embrace this temple’s highly ornamented gate. An architectural splendor, the outer wall of the temple is brightly decorated with beautiful images of legendary characters. This temple is situated near Dashahara Maidan, Annapurna Road, Indore.

Bada Ganpati

The Bada Ganpati temple is a very ancient temple and widely known for the size of the Ganesh idol. This temple was built in 1875 by Shri Dadhich. The idol is said to be the size of 25 Foot from head to crown. This temple is located near the heart of the city Rajwada also known as Holkar Palace.

Hrinkar Giri

The largest Jain shrine of Indore, situated at a hillock near Indore Airport.

Gommat Giri

This is an excellent set of Jain temples built on the top of Gommatesher Hill. The main attraction is 24 feet tall statue of Lord Bahubali, and 24 others temples for each of the 24 jain tirthankars.

The Kanch Mandir also known as Glass Temple is an exquisite example of a marvel in glass. This Jain temple also known as Jain Mandir was built by Sir Seth Hukum Chand Jain (Kasliwal) in the early 20th century. It is located in the Itwaria market. The specialist of this temple is that its doors, pillars, ceilings and walls are entirely inlaid with glass with minute detailing. It is one of the most famous tourist attraction of the city. The temple paintings depict stories from the Jain scriptures. The top of the temple multiplies the three statues of Lord Mahavir which makes this temple a more beautiful place.

Bada Ganapati

Annapurna Mandir

Gurudwara at LIG

Chhatris

Indore has a number of Chhatris, which mark the cremation place, of its erstwhile royal Maratha rulers - the Holkars. These chhatris are intricately carved and some, like the Krishnapura Chhatri, also have temples and other structures near the place.

Krishnapura Chhatri

Bolia 'Maratha Sardar' Ki Chhatri

Krishnapura Chhatri

Inside view of Krishnapur Chhatri

Historical places

Rajwada is a historical palace in Indore city. It was built by the Holkars of the Maratha Empire about two centuries ago. This seven storied structure is located near the Chhatris and serves today as a fine example of royal grandeur and architectural skills.

The Yeshwant Club came into existence in the year 1934 at the behest of late HH The Maharaja Tukoji Rao III Holkar of Indore. The Club was established out of natural love and affection for his beloved son, Yuvraj Yeshwant Rao Holkar. Spread over an expanse of 14 Acres and it is one of the living signatures of the rich Maratha legacy of the Holkar rulers of Indore State. Inititally the club was opened for Maratha royalty, nobility, aristocracy and the officers (Natives and British) of the Holkar State. Later its doors were opened for the business elites. Post-Indian Independance, the admission criteria was revised according to the changing times. HH Maharani Usha Devi, the daughter of late HH Maharaja Yeshwant Rao II Holkar of Indore is the Chief Patron of the Club, the Honorary Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh being the President of the Club. Today, the Club offers a unique blend of culture, sports and entertainment, which makes it one of the best-managed Clubs in the country. [56][57][58][59][60][61][62][63][64][65][66][67][68]

Gandhi Hall

King Edward Hall that was renamed as the Mahatma Gandhi Hall after the independence is one the most gorgeous buildings of Indore. Made in 1904 and originally named King Edwards Hall, it was renamed Mahatma Gandhi Hall in 1948. Its architectural style is Indo-Gothic. Made in Seoni stone, its domes and staples are a landmark of Indore today. It has a four-faced clock tower in front. It can accommodate 2,000 people at a time. It is one of the greatest landmarks of the city and is also frequently a venue for exhibitions and fairs throughout the year. The building also has a library, a children park and a temple.

Lal Baag Palace

Lal Baag Palace is one of the most spectacular buildings in Indore. It stands on the outskirts of the town, towards the southwest. It is a three storey building on the bank of the River Khan. The palace was built by HH Maharaja Shivaji Rao Holkar of Indore during 1886-1921.

Nearby attractions

There are various places which tourists and citizens of Indore like to visit for weekends and occasion or Holidays.

Maheshwar

Maheshwar is a town in Khargone district of Madhya Pradesh state It was the capital of the Malwa during reign of the MarathaHolkars till 6 January 1818, when the capital was shifted to Indore by Malhar Rao Holkar III. Maheshwar has been a centre of handloom weaving since the 5th century. Maheshwar is the home of one of India's finest hand loom fabric traditions. It is about 90 km from Indore and known for beautiful temples, ghats, fort and palaces.

Mandavgarh or Mandu

Mandu or Mandavgad is a ruined city in the present-day Mandav area of the Dhar district. It is about 99 km from Indore and knows for its beautiful forts, palaces and natural landscape.

Yeshwant Rao II Holkar - The Maharaja of Indore who merged the Holkar State with the GOI. Many prominent buildings like the MY Hospital and the Yeshwant Club are named after him. He is succeeded by his only son 'Maharajkumar Shivaji Rao Holkar' (Prince Richard Holkar) and his only daughter 'HH Maharani Usha Devi of Indore', the present Maharani of Indore.

Colonel C.K. Nayudu – The first captain of India in Test cricket - born in Indore

Captain Mushtaq Ali – Colonel Nayudu's teammate in the Holkar team and in the Indian team -born in Indore

Salman Khan - Born in Indore and spent childhood up to five years here.

Salim Khan- Belonged to Indore. an Indian actor and screenwriter. In Hindi cinema, Khan is best known for being one half of the prolific screenwriting duo of Salim-Javed. He is the father of Bollywood actor Salman Khan.

Bharat Chawda - Bharat started his career with Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii as Ishaan on Star Plus, He also appeared in various shows Crime Patrol, Haunted Nights, Savdhaan India & Fear Files: Darr Ki Sacchi Tasvirein, he played the role in Meri Bhabhi as bobby on STAR Plus. He also act in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's production Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram Leela as Manga

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